2021 Valdegines
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Tasting notes
The bottled 2021 Valdeginés showed much better than the unbottled sample I tasted last time. The wine is a little austere, very integrated and harmonious, with fine tannins. It feels very young and undeveloped but with high potential, with all the elements and balance to age nicely in bottle. The 2021s are going to need time in bottle. Carlos López de Lacalle says Valdeginés is a serious wine but with a jovial palate, with energy and charm. 15,000 bottles were produced, which is the largest production of the single-vineyard wines. It was bottled in May 2023.
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Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous
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Being one of the pioneers of village and terroir-driven wines in Rioja, Artadi focuses on balancing a mixture of the terroir and his personal style. The 2021 Valdeginés is a good example of this approach, crafted from Tempranillo planted on deep clay soils in Laguardia, Rioja Alavesa. A purple wine, the aromas offer notes of black tea and violets, along with crushed plums and fresh cherries. Dry, juicy and taut, with bold and reactive tannins, the powerful and rich palate lingers on its fruit notes—a Rioja red with a personalized Bordeaux touch.
A nice lift of black pepper to the red cherries, hibiscus, mineral and oyster shells. Scented, with more width than depth on the nose. Chalky rounding of tannins dissipate in a concentrated, medium- to full-bodied palate. Long, mineral finish to close. Drink from 2025.
About the producer
Owner and winemaker Juan Carlos López de Lacalle is among an elite group of global vintners whose expertise creates wines that stand above others in their regions. Artadi produces refined Rioja in unoaked and oaked styles, including superb Reservas and single-vineyard wines such as Viña El Pisón.